Felly for vehicle-wheels.



No. 737,745. PATENTED SEPT. 1, 1903. R. KRONENBEEG.

FELLY FOB. VEHICLE WHEELS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 17, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

TNE NORRIS PETER$ co; wo'm-umo WASHINGTONHD c.

UNITED STATES Patented September 1, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

FELLY FOR VEHICLE-WHEELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 737,745, datedSeptember 1, 1903.

Application filed February 17,1903. Serial No. 143,800. (No model.)

' venience that the cover for the air-tube can only be attached to thetire and detached therefrom with difliculty. In view of the considerable weight of the vehicle and of the very heavy load which is thusacting upon the wheels the covers are very strongly built, and theythereby acquire great stiffness, so that the attaching and detaching ofthe covers can only be effected by especially trained, skilled, andstrong persons, and even with these the work takes considerable time.Various constructions of fellies have been devised in order tofacilitate the attaching of the tire, these previous constructionsshowing substantially the common feature that the lateral rim againstwhich the edge of the pneumatic tire is to rest or with which it is toengage by means of athickened part is made detachable, so as to be ableto attach and detach the pneumatic cover from the side after the rim hasbeen removed. After mounting the cover the lateral rim is in the formerconstructions connected to the felly by screws or the like. In suchdevices the unscrewing operation takes considerable time, and,furthermore, this construction is not safe and reliable enough. Thus,for instance, if a screw is broken or has become loose the cover becomesdisconnected from the folly, and accidents in driving which are due tothe loosening of the cover are of frequent occurrence.

My invention refers to a construction of felly for horseless carriagesand other vehicles which while making use of a detachablelaterally-thickened part or rim enables me, however, to avoid screwconnections or similar means of attachment. It is merely the peculiarnature of the construction which serves to retain the detachable rim orthe thickened part in position, the attaching and detaching of the coverwith the air-tube being effected in a most simple manner and without anyspecial skill or-training in a very short time after the necessarymanipulations have been shown to the operator.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a cross-section through awheel-rim embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar section, showingthe tire in position to be taken off. Fig. 3 is a section through amodification of the rim, and Fig. 4 a section through a furthermodification.

As appears from Fig. 1 the felly or wheelrim a is provided with acentral depression I), the thickened part, which is commonly used insuch fellies for engaging with the pneumatic cover 0, being formed by aslidable ring d, which is removably retained on the folly by restingagainst the outwardly or upwardly projecting outer flange or rim e ofthe same and is otherwise loosely placed on the felly. The innerdiameter of the ring (1 corresponds to the outer diameter of the felly,so that the projecting rim e produces a reliable attachment of the ringto the folly and prevents lateral slipping off. The lower edge of theinfiated pneumatic cover a, reinforced by an embedded wire g, is adaptedto bear tightly against the inner side of the ring. The ring and coverare disconnected from each other, so as to be independently movable. Thering is continuous and not cut open, as usual. Thus the screws or otherfasteningdevices of this kind are avoided in this construction,

When it is, for instance, desired to detach the cover a, with theair-tube f, from the felly a, the cover a, after allowing the air toescape from the air tube, is pressed together, as shown in Fig. 2 of thedrawings-that is to say, it is forced against one side of the felly.Then the ring at is, for instance, placed upon the upper side until itgets into the central depression I), while at the same time the ring ispulled outwardly on the lower side of the felly. The depression I) inthe center of the felly is of such dimension that, as appears from Fig.2, the lower part of the ring can be pulled out over the rim 6 when thering has been placed in this depression on the upper side of the wheel,thus allowing the ring to be entirely detached from the felly. Afterthis is done the cover, with the air-tube, may be pulled off laterallyover the projecting rim 2. For mounting the cover upon the folly by handuntil it engages with the rim 6;

the order of operations is reversed. First the inner edge of the coveris drawn over the edge e, then the air-tube is introduced, and finallythe opposite edge of the cover is placed in position, as shown in Fig.2. Then the ring d is mounted and is pushed forward the edge of thecover 0 is hook-shaped, and the ring (2 is accordingly also somewhat inform of a hook, with which the thickened edge h of the cover 0 willengage. This construction dilfers from those represented by Figs. 1 to 3merely by a different section of the ring 01.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is

A wheel-rim having a depression and an outer flange, a pneumatic tiresurrounding the rim, a wire embedded in the lower edge of the tire, anda ring removably mounted on the rim between the wired edge of the tireand the rim-flange, substantially as specified.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

RUDOLF KRONENBERG.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR OLOSTERMANN, VICTOR W. HELDT.

